OUR NEW GALLERY ARTIST TO OPEN EXHIBITION AT CITY OF SAINT JOHN GALLERY ON JULY 10

 

Andrea Brewer is another artist who will be exhibiting with Buckland Merrifield Gallery when we open this fall. A graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Bachelor of Fine Arts (2001) and Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts (2007), Andrea was selected in 2014 for the Studio Watch Emerging Artist Award by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.

This coming Friday, July 10, Andrea Brewer will be opening a solo exhibition at the City of Saint John Gallery, located within the Saint John Arts Centre. Andrea has sent me a  number of images of her new work, from the series, Perishables. I’m going to give you a preview of what you can expect to see hanging in the City Gallery next week.

Sophie, oil on wood panel, 40″ x 30″

3 apples tall, oil on wood panel, 48″ x 36″

but you can call me Charlie, oil on wood panel, 40″ x 30″

Andrea talked to me about her new series, and about her interest in the juxtapositions of technique, colour, pattern and imagery. She said, “I draw great inspiration from my studies in Art History and Anthropology, and have a particular interest in nature, nature’s creatures and their patterns. Perishables is a series of paintings that use these patterns as narrative.”

Ring around Rosie, we all fall down, oil on wood panel, 36″ x 24″

Leroy, oil on wood panel, 48″ x 48″

Until death do us part, oil on wood panel, 36″ x 36″

Andrea provided further insight into her approach for this series.

“The white, crisp backgrounds are suggestive of sterile, clean plains, and are reminiscent of white serving platters. In contrast, the patterned backgrounds are reflective of the domestic coverings that hide, shelter and decorate life. The use of a more subdued palette allows the viewer to connect with the subject and to witness their story in a deeper, more meaningful way.”

When I visited Andrea in her studio last month, I was particularly impressed by the energy that this work has. I found within her images an incredible freshness. The connection with her subjects is direct and immediate. These works are darkly humorous, but you can sense within the paintings the strong empathy that the artist has for her subjects.

I’ll leave you with just three more pieces. Don’t miss this exhibition next Friday at the City Gallery. I hope to see you there.

Camouflage for Maggie, oil on wood panel, 48″ x 36″

Maggie’s close call, oil on wood panel, 48″ x 36″

Rodeo, oil on wood panel, 48″ x 60″

 

Marie Fox, a painter based in Fredericton, will be an addition to our group of artists when Buckland Merrifield Gallery opens its doors this fall. I do expect to have some work on hand at the current Duke St. location soon. Above, images of her work, and below, Marie at work in her studio.

Marie Fox is one of two painters selected this year for the Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s Studio Watch Emerging Artist Series. The other artist is Stephanie Weirathmueller, who is represented by Gallery 78.

In the catalogue for her Beaverbrook exhibition, Marie discusses her paintings which she says are very much based in “the tradition of Western figurative painting (particularly that of the northern Gothic of 15th Century Flemish art).”

She says “My models are stripped bare of time and space, their clothing for the most part, and placed in ambiguous backgrounds or sky-painted, in moments of ecstasy, playfulness, purity and ferocity. . . My paintings convey the sensual, the erotic and the spiritual.”

I am including images of a few paintings, but I urge you to visit her exhibition at the Beaverbrook. The exhibition opens on June 25, and will remain up through the summer.

LJÓSBERINN (Bringer of Light) , 2014 Oil on wood panel | 48 x 48 inches

Ascend | Ascension (Francis of Assisi), 2015 (1 of 12 panels)

Marie discusses her approach to painting. “I work in the tradition of an earlier time, painting in oil on wood panels, using translucent layers of colour that echo gothic and renaissance styles.”

 

Premature Epitaph for a Painter | , 2014 Oil on wood panel |  8 x 10 inches

Light Bearer. oil on wood panel, 10″ x 10″

 

Coming soon in this series, Andrea Brewer, another painter who will be joining our gallery.

This is the first in a series of blog posts designed to introduce some of the new artists that will be showing at the Buckland Merrifield Gallery when it opens this fall. I will be sending out posts throughout the summer in order to tell you about some of these new artists, as well as keeping you informed about special events involving artists currently represented by my gallery.

Melissa Leblanc is the first artist to be featured in this series. Melissa, an instructor at the New Brunswick College of Craft & Design, is a ceramic artist based near Fredericton. Shannon has arranged for Melissa to join our gallery when we open this fall.

Her sculptural explorations are a product of her vast imagination and humoristic view on life. As you view some images of her work below, you will see why we are quite excited to have Melissa join our new gallery.

 

Above: Harlequin Trio

Above: Madame Corvus

Above: Chickadee Choir

Given this small sampling of her work, it is easy to see why she was selected, in 2013, by the NB Arts Board, for an Emerging Artist Creation Grant. Also, in the summer of 2014, Melissa was granted a solo exhibition at Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery in London, Ontario, Canada’s largest ceramic art gallery.

Shannon talked with Melissa concerning her decision to become a ceramic artist. Melissa told her that she touched clay for the first time in a sculpture class as a social science student during her time at University of Moncton. The moment her hands touched the clay, Melissa realized that she need to dedicate her life to ceramics. She dropped out of university and went to the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design in Fredericton, where she currently works as an instructor.

Melissa discussed some of her early influences.

“I grew up in a large family (I’m the youngest of 7) in Rogersville and spent alot of time in the woods climbing trees and being fascinated by nature and it’s beauty. 

My parents are very artistic and they showed me their creative process. My mother is a painter and I used to watch her paint while my father is a musician and I used to listen to him sing and play the guitar while he wrote songs. It’s a rich environment to grow up in for someone who has a creative spirit.”

Above: Deer Knitting

Above: A Lovely Mourning

Above: Giraffe Family

Melissa explained her process for creating these wonderful figures, that seem to arise out of a well balanced blend: a delightful exuberance for nature and a darkly humourous view of humanity. She says, “Once I have found a subject matter, I sculpt the piece solid and hollow it out, once it is hard enough not to distort.  I apply underglazes like paint to add color.  Then I fire in a kiln to a bisque temperature.  After, I apply an oxide stain to darken the work and enhance the lines and textures.”

 

Above: Mr. & Mrs. Bear; Melissa at work in her studio.

Watch for my next post when I will introduce you to two painters who have just joined the gallery: Marie Fox and Andrea Brewer.

 

 

 

 

The Strathbutler Award: A tradition of excellence in New Brunswick Visual Arts

Based on the considered recommendation of a professional jury, the Board of Directors of the Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation announces that Paul Mathieson has been selected as the 2015 recipient of the Strathbutler Award. Mr. Mathieson joins a celebrated list of Strathbutler artists whose work has enriched the cultural fabric of New Brunswick.

JURORS’ COMMENTARY:

Jurors Toby Bruce, Hannah Claus and Francois Morelli lauded the Kingston resident for his work and his many contributions to the cultural fabric of New Brunswick.

“The jury recognizes Paul Mathieson’s sustained contribution to the long history of western figurative tradition. While anchored in the local, his work addresses the universal humanist condition of alienation and isolation. The formal complexity of his compositions, combined with the theatrical and performative nature of his narratives distinguish his work in an age where the very nature of painting is questioned.

Mathieson’s keen observation of his immediate environment translates into a dystopic perspective of society at large, giving the work an unsettling contemporary resonance. While the work asks questions, it doesn’t attempt to come up with answers. To quote the artist “Life is not a sitcom with a problem resolved within a thirty minute screening and neither are my paintings”

As an educator, working with secondary students in the public school system for over thirty years, he has directly impacted generations and continues to do so through ongoing projects with youth and community. In awarding Paul Mathieson the Strathbutler, the jury acknowledges the vitality and importance of an oeuvre which resists the constraints of time and place.”

A SURVEY OF PAUL’S PAINTINGS SINCE 2000:

Monopoly Series (2000 – 01) – Private Collection

 

The Tunnel Series (2003) – Collection of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery

Cul de Sac (2004) – Collection of New Brunswick Art Bank

First Steps (2007) – Private Collection

Back of Quinpool (2009) – Private Collection

Paradise Row; The Island is Closed (2010) – Private Collection

The Ladder Series (2011) – Collection of the artist

Marquages Temporaires; Empire Theatre (2012) – Private Collection

Continuing the tradition of celebrating excellence in the visual arts, the Strathbuter will be presented to Mr. Mathieson at a gala reception to be held in September at the New Brunswick Museum.

Also, an exhibition of new paintings by Paul Mathieson will be held at the Buckland Merrifield Gallery in November 2015.

Above: Quite literally support for the arts. These are posts that support the ceiling of our new gallery. We have been in this week measuring, planning and recording images of the space. It is exciting to envision the final product at this early stage. It may not look that exciting at the moment, but we believe it will be a spectacular space when it’s finished.

 

Above: Our new home on Canterbury. The space on the right, with the parked Volkswagon, is where the Buckland Merrifield Gallery will locate. The space to the left is the site for Real Food Connections. Above will be great apartments, a terrific place to live, with your beer, food and art just downstairs.

There will be a new facade that will bring the doors and windows out to the sidewalk. Acre Architects is working on this, so you know that it will be a great entryway to the new businesses at this address..

 

Above: The walls are going up.

 

Above: Toward the back of the gallery.

 

Above: Looking toward our neighbours. The foreground pile of lumber is in our space. Just beyond the large post is the new home of Real Food Connections. Beyond that where you see more daylight is the area for Picaroons Traditional Ales.

 

Above: Toward the light. Like most construction sites, there is a lot of material lying around and a lot of people working to make this a very special place for the fall. Historica knows how to make great projects happen.

 

Above: Looking towards our front door, or at least where our front door will be. Also, the wall to the right will be taken out, opening the gallery to the street.

 

Above: Devon, the man at the centre. Devon is overseeing this project for Historica. I found him hard at work in his office, located on the ground floor of the building.

THE NEW LOGO AND THE NEW TEAM

 

 

SHANNON MERRIFIELD

Shannon Merrifield, a resident of Grand Bay – Westfield, is mother to two young boys and is married to renowned artist-teacher, Cliff Turner.

Shannon Merrifield comes from a socially and politically active family of entrepreneurs, something that has influenced her interest in community, and saw her develop her hardworking and tenacious spirit and her drive to accomplish.

In her formative years she traveled extensively, lived for a time in France, attended UNBSJ, UNBC and Holland College, from where she received a Culinary Arts Degree. Always driven toward creative projects, a pivotal moment was her purchase of Handworks Gallery in 2001. Under her ownership this gallery became a household name, and set the gold standard for fine art and craft within the Maritime region.

Shannon has won numerous awards: the Board of Trade Silver Award, the Uptown SJ Award and the Atlantic Craft Alliance Best Gallery Award. She was the Co-Founder of the social network organization, FUSION. She studied at NB Craft College, and in 2013, sold Handworks and established her own ceramic studio.

Recently, Shannon Merrifield has worked with government as a Special Assistant to the region of South West New Brunswick where she liased between government, industry and not for profit sectors.

Shannon brings a wealth of experience and a positive vision for the future of the arts in New Brunswick to this exciting new venture.

 

Peter Buckland

 

Peter Buckland began his career in the fine art business in 1981 with Windrush Galleries, and has operated the Peter Buckland Gallery since 1998. He has curated 250 exhibitions involving both noted and emerging Canadian artists. He has written extensively about art and artists. He co-authored Portraits: New Brunswick Painters in 2009.

 

He has been devoted to promoting the arts within this region. He has been a participant in the Saint John Gallery Hops since its inception in 1999. He was a founding member of the Saint John Community Arts Board (2001). He served as Chair of Saint John 225, Saint John’s year as a Cultural Capital of Canada in 2010. He served as Chair of the Originals (2012) and as Vice Chair of Sculpture Saint John (2012 & 2014).

 

Peter Buckland was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in September 2012 for his work in the arts.

 

 

My blog has been in hibernation since December. The spring weather has finally arrived, people are dropping into the gallery more often and it’s time to begin talking about art and artists once again. With one exhibition in its final week, another soon to be installed for the spring gallery hop in two weeks and many of our gallery artists busy with projects here and away, there is much to talk about.

EARLY MORNING WALKS WITH CHRIS AND HIS DOG

Our current exhibition, featuring Chris Down has been very well received. Chris is a remarkable painter who is not yet well known within the province. The quality of his work assures me that this relative anonymity will dispel rather quickly.

This series of paintings is the culmination of three years work, paintings based upon early morning walks by the artist with his dog. On these walks things are noticed, sometimes photographed, sometimes simply noted mentally. These photographic images and these memories then become the raw material for painting as the artist attempts to probe the relationship between his subjective experience and the material reality within the natural world.

reeds, oil, wax & alkyd resin on canvas, 60″ x 45″

shore, watercolour& ink on paper, 19.75″ x 26.5″

These compelling paintings are the result of an artistic process that seeks to discover various layers of meaning that exist between the external world and the artist’s perception of it.

He says, “When I follow my dog along a path, guided by her extraordinary hearing and smell, I am introduced to a world that is largely unavailable to my senses. The perceptions that guide her snuffling search through dead leaves, or that compel her to dig and lick at an apparently banal patch of grass or tree trunk, has led me to understand that what I take for granted as the ‘visible world’ is an astonishingly thin layer of reality. When I follow my work along a path, I am hunting for similarly invisible and compelling tokens of ordinary life.”

web, oil & acrylic on canvas, 40″ x 30″

This exhibiiton by Chris Down will remain up until Saturday, May 16.

 

BRUCE PASHAK: I KNOW MY TREES

 

mixed media, 22″ x 11.25″

An anagram of the NYTimes is I Know My Trees.  This very appropriate line appears throughout the suite of new works by Bruce Pashak, and underscores the fact that it requires 63,000 trees to provide the paper needed to produce one Sunday edition of the New York Times.

The artist has laminated full editions of the NY Times onto a board. Then, it is on the front page that he draws, constructs, embeds, stencils and paints his images. In his artistic statement Pashak recognizes the irony in using the NYT edition upon which to create his drawings, and his use of wood for the backing and framing of the works.

These works are extraordinary, very thoughtful and extremely accomplished.

Don’t miss the opening reception for this exhibition on Friday, May 22.

 

mixed media, 22″ x 11.25″

Also, do not forget that Friday, May 22 is the Spring Gallery Hop.

 

mixed media, 22″ x 11.25″

DEANNA PAINTS A DOG

Deanna Musgrave is very busy these days. She has just completed a 50′ mural that will soon have its permanent home at a prominent Saint John location (unveiling to take place in June). More recently, she and her partner, Andrew, have organized and installed a major exhibition of art in Fredericton to raise funds for the construction of a skateboard park in memory of their son, Isaac.

On Thursday evening, we found her in the pedway of Saint John’s newest cruise ship terminal tackling yet another project, as she was preparing to paint a replica of a dog. Selected as the New Brunswick artist by fido (the phone people) she was asked to paint this dog, while people stood by and watched. This performance was being repeated simultaneously on Thursday evening by other artists in each Canadian Province.

Deanna, an innovator, immediately adopted her own approach to the project. She set a 48″ x 48″ blank canvas on the floor, then placed her dog upon the canvas. As she began to release paint unto the canvas and the dog, the dog’s presence became apparent within the work, both figuratively and literally.

 

Those of us in attendance were privileged to witness what is normally very private, the artist in the act of creation. It was a lovely moment, the artist, seemingly oblivious to us, at one with her subject and her materials.

In June, at the gallery, we will be featuring work by Deanna Musgrave that is related to her recently commissioned public mural. I will be sending out more detailed information on this in early June.

 BRIAN BURKE’S IMAGINARY ENCOUNTERS

Gallery artist, Brian Burke, has just had a solo exhibition of paintings at Galerie Müller in Luzern, Switzerland. Burke, a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, has had an illustrious career, spanning several decades. His work has been shown throughout the Atlantic region, in Toronto, Vancouver, New York and in Europe. Our gallery looks forward to exhibiting recent paintings by Brian Burke throughout the coming year.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

AN IMPORTANT GALLERY ANNOUNCEMENT COMING MAY 22

Be sure to join us on this date for the Hop, for our Bruce Pashak exhibition and for an exciting gallery announcement.

Here are just six more unique ideas for the last minute shopper, and very affordable.

1. 

The gallery still carries a number of interesting watches, thanks to Judy’s diligence in tracking very unusual watch designs. This one is quite new from Mr. Jones, a great gift for the Jules Verne fan. ($235)

2. 

Also, a fascinating design from Projects. Something for the X-Ray technician in your life. ($110)

3. 

A work in ceramic from Kathy Hooper. This is from the ASAFO Series, (11″ dia.). ($150)

4. 

Another from Kathy Hooper, a small acrylic on canvas, entitled Liova & Animal. ($175)

5. 

We still have a number of these charming copperplate etchings by Bob Morouney. This is called Papermoon, measuring 4″ x 4″. ($135)

6. 

One more from Bob. This one is called Watchtower, copperplate etching, 3.5″ x 5″. ($135)

DROP BY THE GALLERY AT 35 DUKE ST.

I WILL BE IN:

TUESDAY 12 – 5        WEDNESDAY 10 – 12.